TAKING on the challenge of bringing a much-loved, best selling novel to the stage for the first time is always going to be a risk.

Deciding to make that stage production a musical only increases the potential for disappointment.

But not only has the all-star team behind The Book Thief, which is enjoying its world premiere at Bolton Octagon pulled it off, they have produced a work which is compelling, heart rending and simply beautiful.

It's a triumph and the likelihood is that the next few weeks will just be the first step for a production which surely is destined for a life of its own.

The Bolton News:

The Book Thief is both a chilling reminder of one of the darkest periods in history as Hitler and the Nazis brought the full power of their authoritarian regime to bear on Germany as war raged but also a focal point for hope, a reassurance that there is always a glimmer of light in the darkness.

How The Book Thief became a world first for Bolton Octagon

Caught up in this world where absolute power has made extremists out of so many is Liesel, a young orphan girl - the Book Thief of the title.

In Niamh Palmer, the Octagon has unearthed a real talent. Her Liesel is cheeky, at times vulnerable and totally engaging with a stage presence way beyond her years.

For anyone who has read the book, this production will be instantly familiar although it is not a direct clone. But you don't have to have read it to appreciate this splendid production.

It has taken six years for The Book Thief to come to the stage. The driving forces behind it - best selling author Jodi Picoult and award-winning writer Timothy Allen McDonald - should be delighted at what they have achieved.

The music and lyrics by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson contribute so much both in terms of creating atmosphere - the anthemic Make Germany Great Again is genuinely terrifying - and moving the story along.

Then there is the cast, first rate one and all. Narrator Ryan O'Donnell is our guide on our journey which at times feels like travelling through the Underworld - at times a chirpy character, at others full of despair for the way people treat one another.

The ensemble contributes so much to the production playing neighbours, Nazis and Jews destined for the concentration camps. The choral numbers are hugely powerful and there's some great choreography.

The Bolton News:

Special mention to Jack Lord who plays Hans Hubermann and Danielle Henry, his wife Rosa. They foster young Liesel and their love hate relationship is beautifully observed.

It's no accident that there are striking parallels with what is currently happening around the world - the rise of nationalism, the increase of intolerance - but it's not a point that's laboured. It doesn't need to be.

Given the subject matter there are surprising moments of humour throughout. Liesel's relationship with her young neighbour Rudy who dreams of being Jesse Owens is brilliantly observed.

And rather than despair the overriding message is one of hope - how a simple act of kindness can do so much.

The Bolton News:

The ending, including fabulous use of puppetry, is simply stunning. If you don't have a tear in your eye then you haven't got a soul.

The Octagon, artistic director Lotte Wakeham and the whole creative team behind The Book Thief deserve tremendous credit. To pull off this transformation from page to stage is a major achievement. To pull it off so remarkably is astonishing.

The Book Thief runs until Saturday, October 15. Details from www.octagonbolton.co.uk